Does anybody know how to encourage a hen to go broody?

[micahdanielr]

I have a Ameraucana/Maran hen that keeps laying eggs. But she won’t go broody already! Is there anything I can do to make her go broody??

 

[ariri30]

I have a Ameraucana/Maran hen that keeps laying eggs. But she won’t go broody already! Is there anything I can do to make her go broody??

Having same issue with this little one that doesn’t make up her mind. She’s been sort of broody for more than two weeks. I think she’s too young and doesn’t know what she’s doing

 

[Cherterr]

Fake eggs or golf balls??

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

Fake eggs or golf balls??

I agree, put some wooden eggs under her or golf balls.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

I have a Ameraucana/Maran hen that keeps laying eggs. But she won’t go broody already! Is there anything I can do to make her go broody??

Some breeds don’t go broody very easily though try wooden eggs or gold balls under her. If she was hand reared they often don’t have a very maternal instinct. Breeds like silkies and pekins (fluffy bum breeds as we calm them) go broody better for some reason.

 

[cluckadoodledoo13]

Having same issue with this little one that doesn’t make up her mind. She’s been sort of broody for more than two weeks. I think she’s too young and doesn’t know what she’s doing

We had the same issue with our silkie. I would wait until she’s a bit older and knows what she’s doing before giving her any eggs as out broody hen was given 12 eggs. After kicking 2 infertile eggs out we left her. At 9 days to go she attacked them all and most of them smashed. We are now left with 4 in an incubator. The mess she left wasn’t pleasant as most of the eggs had a dead body and blood in. She ate most of them and later had to have a bath to clean the remains off her face before going in the main run. That’s her broody days over and she’s back to laying like normal.

 

[21hens-incharge]

It all has to do with hormones.

If the hormones aren't there they won't go broody. Most hatchery stock has had the broody bred out of them.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

Whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Feed her chicken bon bons. Rub her waddles... and hope.

In seriousness, there's no magic formula. I have 22 hens right now and 3 went broody already. One of them went broody at this same time last year and I wrote an article about her (Butterscotch).

Breed has a lot to do with it and as others mentioned, breeding does too.

I don't believe there is a way to actually force a hen to go broody since it is a biological/physiological change.

 

[The chicken girl 555]

Hello,
Many people say to ecourage your hen to go broody using golf balls or wooden egg dummys personaly in my experiance the chicken found out and just kicked all off the dummy eggs out of her nest when laying an egg.... BUT the best way to get a chicken to go broody is have her lay eggs the same place your ducks do when i left them for a while laying eggs together there were about 16 duck eggs and 12 chicken eggs in the nest... now.... its your choice weather you want to hatch out ducks or chickens we wanted to hatch out ducks so we took the chicken eggs away and many of you will say the eggs will get rotten because she hasnt sit on them for a long time but actually the hen saw those 16 duck eggs she sat on them for 28 days and 12 eggs hatched! unfortunatly one passed away as he was small and unhealthy....... so what im trying to say is what worked best for me is just to leave her do her thing let a ducck lay with her that will encourage her much more and the hatch rate in AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

- i hope this works for some of you! like it did to me!